Paul McCartney

Gagosian is pleased to present Rearview Mirror, an exhibition of recently rediscovered photographs by Paul McCartney, opening on April 25 in Beverly Hills. Featuring thirty-six works composed of images taken between December 1963 and February 1964, it presents a rare opportunity to acquire selected photographs—including some previously unseen—from McCartney’s personal archive. It is the first time McCartney has made signed editions of his photographs available.

Evoking an indelible snapshot of Beatlemania as it grew into a global phenomenon, the photographs on view embody a poignant intersection of time, place, and personality. Taken together, they form a significant contribution to the visual record of the era, not only due to their unique perspective, but also because they reveal an unheralded aspect of McCartney’s versatile talents. The mix of black-and-white and color prints includes self-portraits, unguarded views of McCartney’s bandmates, and vivid depictions of the pandemonium that greeted them at every turn. Some of the most compelling photographs portray scenes glimpsed through the windows of moving vehicles as McCartney and his fellow Beatles were whisked from one appearance to the next.

Following the arc of The Beatles’ progress, the exhibition begins with photographs McCartney took in Liverpool and London soon after acquiring a 35 mm Pentax camera. These earlier pictures are by turns self-reflective and playful, projecting a certain innocence. The photographs McCartney shot in Paris show the band mobbed in the streets by press and photographers, while the ones he took in the United States convey the awe of having arrived in the country whose rock ’n’ roll pioneers had such an indelible influence on The Beatles’ early work. In these pictures his interactions with fans predominate, whether it be the crowds held back by barricades outside the Plaza Hotel in New York or the sea of well-wishers who turned out to greet the Fab Four upon their arrival in Miami. These and other photographs on view have been given captions that illuminate their subjects’ precise locations and circumstances.